Using curly parsley will save time, as it can be chopped more quickly. / BOB FILA / Chicago Tribune file photo 2004

How often do you buy a bunch of fresh parsley, use a tablespoon or two for garnishing or to finish off to a soup or stew, then let the rest of it grow slimy in your refrigerator?

That kills me too.

This week's recipe for tabbouleh won't let any parsley go to waste. In fact, you'll have to buy two bunches.

The iconic Middle Eastern salad can veer in a couple different directions. In this country, you more often see it heavy on bulgur (parboiled, dried and cracked whole wheat) and light on the parsley. In Lebanon, where it is the national dish, tabbouleh is mostly parsley with just a bit of bulgur to add chewy texture and earthy flavors.

I love it both ways, but people seem to ooh and aaah more when I put parsley in the leading role.

And why not let parsley be a spotlight vegetable instead of a mere garnish? It's loaded with vitamins A, C and K, has good amount of folic acid and is packed with health-sustaining flavonoids.

Given the choice between flat leaf Italian parsley and curly parsley, purists argue for the flat leaf, which has more intense flavor. It should be sliced thin (almost like a chiffonade) rather than chopped, which will bruise the leaves.

But there is a worthy argument for curly parsley as well. Instead of painstakingly slicing it by hand, it can handle being chopped in the food processor without the green bleeding. If that shortcut inspires you to make tabbouleh more often, then buy the curly.

Perhaps the most time-consuming part of preparing tabbouleh is cleaning and drying the parsley. I take half a bunch at a time, swish it in several changes of cold water (holding the stems) and shake it like mad (out on the porch, if it's warm enough). Then I take a clean dish towel, blot the leaves as dry as possible and chop the leaves fine while holding the stems.

Some people also pull the leaves off the stem first, dunk them in several changes of water and then give them a ride in the salad spinner. Whatever it takes to get the stuff clean and dry is all that matters, really.

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Put lettuce or cabbage leaves on the side so eaters can scoop up the tabbouleh and eat it with their hands.